Viewing apparatus



Filed Jan. 19, 1955 R m5 N6. E5

H HM w A A B m0 a A I V\ W A m w Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE VIEWING APPARATUS John .I. Hegel, ll'Ieriden, Conn.

Application January 19. 1953, Serial No. 332,063

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to photography, and more particularly to an upstanding adjustable open frame which may be used as a convenient uide to locate the position for viewing a scene or object to produce the best arrangement, composition, and perspective of a picture to be reproduced therefrom either by photography, painting, or otherwise.

The objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very efficient and durable in use. I

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on the accompanying drawing one form inwhich the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 represents a front view of the viewing frame.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the same taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the viewing frame as it appears when assembled upon a horizontal holding bar, upon which it is adjustably mounted.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the holding bar, with one position of the viewing frame shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a chart showing a constant area curve of the frame aperture by means of which the arcuate corner sector of the frame is laid out.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 9 indicates an elongated bar of rectangular crosssection, from one end of which the scene or object to be reproduced is adapted to be viewed.

The numeral Ill indicates a rectangular viewing frame having a pair of vertical side rails H and I 2 and horizontal top and bottom rails I3 and 14 respectively. The numeral I 5 indicates a vertical masking slide secured to the top and bottom rails l3 and I4 by means of end ears l6 and I! respectively, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing.

Provision is also made of a horizontal masking slide H! which is held upon the vertical side rails II and I2 of the frame by means of end ears I9 and 20, respectively. The end car 19 is provided at its center point with an index arrow 20a adjacent which is a vertical scale 33 indicating the ratio of the length (L) to the width (W) within the masking slides l5 and i8 of the viewing frame I 0.

In the upper right hand corner of the frame In between the rails I2, I 3, provision is made of an arcuate corner sector 2! having a shape corresponding to the shape of the constant area curve shown on the chart 0 of Fig. 6 of the drawing. The curves of the arcuate sector.

represent equal areas of the aperture in. the frame Ill, which condition is obtained by causing the, edges of the masking slides l5 and Hi to intersect on the edge of the arcuate sector 2|, as

clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The eye point at which the scene is to be viewed through the frame H3 is indicated by the numeral 22, and is located slightly above the rear end of the bar 9.

Mounted upon the bar 9 is an angular slide member 23 having a forwardly and upwardly inclined ear 24 at the forward end thereof, which ear is secured to the frame H) by a thumb screw 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

When horizontal pictures are to be taken, the 1 thumb screw 25 will be inserted through an aperture 26 in the side rail I I for securing the frame If] in horizontal position, but when vertical pictures are to be taken, the thumb screw 25 will be inserted in the aperture 27 formed in the bottom rail 14 of the frame Ill.

The forward end of the angular slide member 23 is provided with a U-shaped bracket 28 having depending side clips 29 which are bent inwardly underneath the bar for frictionally embracing the same, as shown in Fig. 5. The bracket 28 is adapted to be held in any desired adjusted position upon the bar 9 by means of a horizontal set screw 30 passing through one of the side cups 29.

The angular slide member 23 is adapted to be secured to the bracket 28 by means of a pair of vertical machine screws 3 I, 32 as clearly shown in Fi 3.

In order to facilitate the use of the apparatus, provision is made of a plurality of frame setting points (or position members) of which only four (34, 35, 3B, 3'!) are marked on the bar 9 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. When the forward edge of the slide 23 is brought into alignment with a particular setting point, the frame [0 will be in the proper viewing position for the desired medium of reproduction, such as a. catalog, an exhibition picture, a magazine cover, a calendar or a billboard.

1y framed therein.

By the use of the present invention the reproduction will have. ,a.,natural appearance regard; less of thesize to which it is enlarged or reduced: because of the normal action of the operator in subconsciously adapting the distance between the.

eyes and the reproduction.

The viewing end of the bar 9 will preferably,"1'.

be placed against the cheekbone of the operator with the viewing frame I0 in slightly inclined upright position.

The operator will then sight through the view ing frame In with his eye. 1ocated slightlyabove r the elongated bar 9 at the point 22 so as to frame the-scene betweenthe maskingslidesflE and 18.

The' viewing frame lil will be assembled forahorizontal scene by inserting the thumb screw 25inthe hole26 in theside rail ll of the view-- irig frame 10. For -a vertical scene, the thumb screw-25 will be inserted in the hole 2] of thebottom rait l4.

The-viewing slide-23 will then be locatedat" th'e properposition number ('34#-31) 0n the bar- S. While-viewing the scene or object, the masking' slides- 15; l8 will be adjusted and the position ofthefscene onobjectsb'eing viewed-will be varied until -the most --pleasing "composition of the-scene:

The scene as reproduced -iromthe-viewing frame Ill should be a -duplicatecf the original scene with the same setting;

When-the scene isto be reproduced by photography, or some related mechanical "method,

thefocal-point -of the camera lens should be placed-atthe J same position as the eye point- 22.

when printinganegative producedby a cam-- era theprintin'g masks would be set at the-same L-W ratio as" determined by the viewing framescale .33.

After the picture has i been printed," the best positio'nzfor viewing it will be obtained-when the 4 inside edge of the 'frame coincides with the outside edge of the print.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is tobe understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in, vaiious other} forms without departing from its-spiri-t'i In "short, the invention includes all the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claim.

Havingthus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

In a guide forldetermining the best position for"viewing"a"scene' to produce the most pleasing arrangement, composition, and perspective of a picture to be reproduced from said scene, an elongated bane slide member movable :on said bar to any. desired adjusted position; a, rectangua, lar- 'upstanding open -.frame member securedato said-slide-lmember, the. forward end of, said -bar serving the. point from whichrthescenes is, to r be. viewed; said :frame member having a slidable: vertical maSki-ng-.strip,1anda slidable horizontal? masking strip to permit the length and. width or? the frame-apertureto: be. adjusted, .onecorner-of said frameshavingg-an arcuate sector whichiis laid cutin such a, manner thatwhen the edges; of saidstrips, intersect on thefedge of said sec t01',- -th8,a;I ..aS within saidstrips'wilhbe constant.

JOHN J.

References. Citedin the .fileiof, thispatent UNITED ESTATES-PATENTS 

